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Local Environment Plan

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Council has placed the draft Local Environment Plan (LEP) on exhibition which is open for comments until 2 April.

What is the LEP ?

It's the overall development guidelines for all of the Randwick City area. Apart from State Government Planning policies, it's the main control for what can get built and what uses or activities are allowed for all of the land with Council's boundaries.

What are the changes?

Randwick's 1998 LEP will be replaced by the 2012 LEP. The two main elements are changes to residential zoning standards and increased numbers of business zoning areas, which are summarised below. Please read & lodge a submission with your thoughts.

For residential areas:The overall change is that three residential zones are merging into two. For the middle zone, this means a change in density (floor space ratio) from 0.65 to 0.75 to 1, a 15% increase! This justified as the State Government permits a floor space ratio, for single homes up to this level.

Dig a little deeper and note that the current controls on height (being external wall and overall building, eg roof) are also being merged, of course, to the higher, overall building, this ‘justified’ as the State Government only permits this under the new LEP.

The prudent approach would have been to take the lower height control (external wall) as the new standard, or even a midpoint between the two existing controls. But our overdevelopment loving Council, won’t even consider this.

The impact will be an extra level permitted in each residential area, so two level areas will become three and 3 level areas will become 4, all aided by the extra density allowed as well.

Already, one senior (or long serving Councillor) has acknowledged the discrepancy and asked for another (non-binding) standard to be modified for the ‘gap’ these changes will allow. It’s not enough, say NO to OVERDEVELOPMENT and ask for the existing external wall height limits to be adopted as the overall building height standard.

For business centres:

1. it is proposed that Kensington and Matraville will become "B2" zoned which is the same zoning as Coogee, Kingsford, Maroubra Junction and Randwick.

3. Expand the boundaries of existing commercial centres, most controversially in Coogee at Carr Street and in Randwick, corner of Frenchmans & St Marks Road.

4.Maroubra Beach commercial centre is being subject to some ‘special’ (high rise) plans.

We think, there is no justification for changes 2 & 3 above and the existing residential zoning of these areas allows the 'neighbourhood shop' use which prevails.

Remember, lodge submissions to Council by 2 April 2012.

We must also briefly mention the shameful consultation process for this draft LEP

Previously, on Council's website (www.yoursayrandwick.com.au) there was a blog forum (which Council moderated) on the major discussion papers. Although Council never responded, at least you could see the thoughts and concerns of others and ask questions.

Now its just a means to lodge a submission. there is no blog forum.

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